Invention and use in the subject area is known to the public. As for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,483 to Sean D. Ferris (1981) Inflatable Vehicle Cover is a vehicle cover designed for use on vehicles being moved in transit. It is comprised of at least one inflatable cell of flexible air-confining material that conforms to the configuration of the vehicle and has means for both inflating and securing said cover to vehicles. The deflated cover is placed over the vehicle, covering all exterior surfaces, and then secured around the vehicle by means of either elasticized circumference or perimeter-engaging straps. The cover is then inflated prior to transport. Upon arrival, the cover can be removed and stored for reuse. While this may be an effective method of vehicle protection while an automobile is in transit, it is not designed to provide convenient consistent protection on a daily basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,560 to Michael F. Balanky (1985) Protective Cover For Vehicles is another known design that specifically protects the finish of a vehicle by use of a hood cover, a pair of front body covers and a pair of rear body covers. The attaching means for each section is a plurality of spaced magnets around the perimeter of each section as well as several manually bendable tab clasps around the wheel well of the vehicle and at other suitable locations around the perimeter of the cover. The Vehicle Protective Cover, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,459, to Larry J. Lantrip in 1986 is a design comprised of both a front and rear portion of the cover. The front portion includes a front panel, an attached hood panel and from side panels which are adapted to be detachably connected along the outside edge of the hood panel for nearly continuous coverage of the vehicle's hood and lower front side walls. The front side panels extend backward to overlap with the rear portion of the cover. The rear side panels are preferably connected at the rear and provided with adjustment so the rear side panels can be drawn taut against the vehicle. Extra cover portions can be included for vehicles with four doors, and fasteners can be used around the wheel wells and lower edges of the side panels to help secure the protective cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,996 to Tokuzo Hirose (1987) Vehicle Body Cover is comprised of a covering sheet which is both waterproof and weatherproof: It is attached on its outer periphery to parts of the vehicle body so that the functions of the vehicle are not impaired and the doors are able to open and close freely. Yet another design is the Vehicle Cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,207 to Edwin B. Clarke in 1989. This cover is designed specifically to protect small trucks such as vans and pickups. It is comprised of a central panel that attaches to a pair of side panels along the vehicle's length to form junction seams defining a pair of parallel vertical planes spaced apart by the width of the vehicle. While the prior art described above may be effective in protecting the finish and body work of various sized vehicles through use of various sections and means of attachment, they do not provide a compact, efficient means to easily and quickly protect a vehicles windshields and interior from the elements. The full car covers are inconvenient because of the bulk and weight of the cover. Not only are they difficult to handle, but their size also makes them nearly impossible to store easily. In addition, tying them down on the vehicle often has many steps which are time consuming, clumsy, and impractical, as they require bending or kneeling in order to reach under the car to secure the straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,171 to Ruben Minimo (1989) for a Foldable Weather Canopy For Motor Vehicles is a partial vehicle cover that improves upon much of the prior art. It is made of corrugated cardboard, laminated cardboard, vinyl, leather, nylon, plastic or any other material in which fold line impressions can be made in order to stretch and compress the cover. It includes a center portion and two side portions with belts on opposite ends of the sheet for securing the canopy to a car body. This collapsible canopy can be used as both a sunshade and frostshield when stretched across the upper exterior portion of a vehicle. But although this partial car cover design seems to avoid many of the pitfalls of the previously mentioned designs, it still differs significantly from the present invention as it is incapable of providing advantages such as a special theft-resistant flaps that are inserted inside locked doors, a size and weight small enough to be easily stored in a pouch within the car and an ability to be produced in a variety of bright colors and prints.
The present invention is an improvement over the prior art because it is light wieght and easy and efficient to use. It is able to fold up into a small pouch for convenient storage within the automobile. Also, the new invention has the ability to take the shape of many different sized vehicles and fit to them firmly. Finally, the new invention has two anti-theft flaps to allow the cover to be securd and locked to the vehicle, and therefore is a significant improvement over the prior art devices described above.